Back In Contact
by MrsDarylDixon14
Summary: Carol and Daryl were best friends in high school but when Carol married Ed she lost all her friends. She leaves Ed and runs into Daryl again, they become close again. Eventually a romantic relationship between the two of them.
1. Leaving

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 1 - Leaving  
****Carol Peletier**

When Ed woke up in a bad mood this morning I knew that it was going to be bad day for me and Sophia too. He had demanded that I made him breakfast in bed but when I took the breakfast to him he just smacked it out of my hand and told me that it wasn't he wanted and he had pushed me, when he pushed me he hit a bruise I had on my stomach from the last beating I had. He then got out of bed and demanded I dressed him for work but that made him more angry because I didn't do it quick enough. He left for work in a bad mood and I knew that he was going to come back home from work tonight in a worse mood so I need to make sure that everything is done to perfection.

After making sure that Sophia got to school safely I rushed back home making sure not to stop anywhere, Ed checks the mileage on the car, when I got home I went up the stairs with everything I needed to clean up the cereal that Ed smacked onto the floor. I cleaned it up but you could still smell the milk so I sprayed some cleaner on the floor and mopped it up once again before spraying some air freshener before closing the door and leaving the room.

I needed to have a shower which I always did after Ed left for work, when I had a shower when Ed was here he would sit in the bathroom and watch me. He would look at all the marks over my body and he would sit there and smirk at them, he would make me tell him what I did wrong to get the marks.

When I got into the bathroom I stripped my clothes off and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I was disgusted at what I saw. I had three large purple bruises across my stomach, I had a split lip, a black eye, a small cut at the corner of my eye where his ring caught me when he slapped me two days ago… I looked down at my feet, the only part of my body that didn't have marks on it.

After my shower I went into the bedroom and dried my body before putting a new set of clothes on and then I grabbed the dirty washing and took it to the laundry room where I set the clothes into piles, blacks, whites, underwear…

Before I knew it I had to go and pick Sophia up from school and then rush home so I could have the dinner on and ready for when Ed came in from work. I didn't want to live like this but I had no choice.

Me and Ed got married when I was 18 years old, he was 21 years old and I thought that I was in love. He showered me with gifts, love and affection but as soon as we got married everything changed. He wouldn't let me go to college when I had to stay at home and be a housewife to him, when I got pregnant with Sophia Ed promised that he would change and he did until Sophia was three weeks old and then it all started again.

When I married Ed I stopped talking to my friends because he would beat me when I spoke to them so I had no one I could really talk to apart from my neighbour Lori Grimes, her husband Rick was the sheriff and when they could hear Ed shouting and screaming at me Rick would come round and arrest Ed. I never pressed charges no matter how much they wanted me to because I knew that whatever happened he would still be the same and I would never be free of him. Every time he was arrested he would beat me when he got home the next morning but he would always be quiet with it in case Rick or Lori heard it.

Rick's best friend and co-worker Shane had also arrested Ed before but I didn't feel all that comfortable around Shane as much as I did Rick but then again I didn't feel comfortable around anybody really apart from Sophia, Rick, Lori and their son Carl who was Sophia's best friend.

The one person I miss the most is my old friend from high school: Daryl Dixon. Me and him were close friends during high school and whenever I had a problem I would go to Daryl and he would fix it for me, he was a bit of a loner and I was really the only friend he had but then when Ed came along me and Daryl drifted further apart. Daryl had his suspicions about Ed beating and had even asked me once a few months after we had gotten married and I had denied it and told him he was being stupid. I should have told him the truth.

As me and Sophia walked inside the house Sophia went up to her bedroom like she always does and closed her bedroom door. I went into the kitchen and started making dinner, I stood there chopping up the vegetables when the front door knocked and I heard the front door knock. I rushed to answer it and seen Rick standing on the other side "Can I come in?" He asked and I nodded.

We went and stood in the kitchen and I made us both a cup of coffee "What's the matter Rick?" I questioned.

"I was called to a disturbance an hour ago and when I got there a young woman, nineteen years old, was being pinned against a wall and she had cuts over her face. The neighbour who called it in said it was her boyfriend beating her up… it was Ed" He told me and I dropped my cup "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but… she was pregnant with his baby" He said.

"Was?" I questioned.

"He beat her so bad she lost it" He said. I just broke down into tears. I had given this man my life and a beautiful daughter and then he goes and does something like this? "She's not pressing charges and he's going to be released soon and he'll probably come back here" He told me.

"He can come back here if he wants but when he does get here it'll an empty house because I'm leaving" I stated and seen Rick smile encouragingly at me "I don't wanna say needy but can you stay whilst I pack mine and Sophia's things… just in case he comes back" I pleaded with me.

"Of course and I've set up a motel room for you and Sophia, it's a got a guard on the door all day and everyday. Me and Lori have paid for two weeks there, she said she'll pick Sophia up to take her to school and take her home as well" He explained to me.

"You did all that?" I asked and he nodded "Thank you… as soon as I'm back on my feet I'll pay you back every penny" I told him and I hugged him.

"There's no need" He told me.

The majority of all mine and Sophia's things were packed up and I followed Rick in the car to the motel and he took me to the room, it had a double bed, a small bathroom, a small kitchen that had an oven, microwave, toaster, kettle, cupboards (with nothing in them), fridge freezer, a couple plates, bowels, cups, knives, forks, spoons and there was also a TV and a table with two chairs just before you go into the little kitchen area "Thank you" I said to Rick.

"I know it's not much but it's safer here then at home with him" He told me "Now officer Laura Jones is going to be in the police car outside the door until ten when Shane will take over until tomorrow morning and then Lori will come and get Sophia and I'll take over watch" He explained to me.

After making sure that I had everything I would need Rick left and I locked the door and closed the curtains. Sophia went and sat down at the table on one of the chairs and started doing her homework in silence, I only had a little bit of money on me until I could go to an ATM tomorrow so I just ordered us a take out for dinner and I quickly ran down to the vending machine that was only a few steps away and got us a couple bottles of water to last the night.

I couldn't believe what Ed had done. All these years I knew that Ed was a jerk and I knew he was terrible and I should have divorced him years ago but I never thought that he would be a cheat. He beat up his nineteen year old girlfriend so bad she lost their baby? You just couldn't make this stuff up. I honestly had no idea what was going on, there were no signs… he never came home smelling like another woman, he never had hickeys on his neck, he never seemed to come home late or anything like that.

Why had he done this to me? I was so good to him. I did everything he asked of me and more so why did he need to go somewhere else? How long had it been going on for? Did she know that he was married? Did she know that he had a daughter? "Mommy why are you crying?" Sophia asked me bringing me out of my thoughts.

I wiped my tears and smiled at her "It doesn't matter now baby" I told her.

"Is daddy gonna come here too?" She asked me.

I hadn't really explained to her why we were here yet, I hadn't had the time everything just happened so fast "No he's not. Daddy did something very bad and he won't be seeing us again, if he comes to the school you don't go to him okay? You wait with Carl for Lori and if he approaches you then you tell your teachers" I told her.

"Okay mommy" She said.

"I'm sorry that you've gotta go through this" I told her.

"Is daddy really gone forever?" She asked.

"Yes" I replied.

"Good" she said and went back to her homework.

My cell phone rang and I looked to see Lori's name flashing up on the screen "Hi Lori" I said as I answered.

"Hey… you ok?" She asked.

"I'm ok. Thank you for the motel, I told Rick that as soon as I get back on my feet with a job and everything then I will give you back every penny" I told her.

"Don't be silly" She said "I just wanted to call to let you know that I'll come and pick Sophia up for school at eight thirty and I'll explain the situation to her teacher as well in case Ed tries to show up but Rick told him when he was released that he's to stay away from the school, you and Sophia" She explained.

"Thank you so much Lori. You and Rick have been amazing to me and I am eternally grateful for everything the two of you have done for me and Sophia" I said to her.

"Carol it's ok… you don't have to keep thanking us" She told me.

We hung up the phone not long after that and then I put Sophia in the bath, dried her hair got her into her pyjamas and read her a bedtime story before tucking her into bed. I brushed some hair out of her eyes and placed a kiss on her forehead "Goodnight Soph" I said.

"Goodnight mommy" She replied and closed her eyes.

I turned the light off and went into the bathroom where I ran myself a bath, I got into the water and breathed a sigh of relief. I was now free.

The next morning the alarm on my phone went off and I turned it off before waking Sophia up and I started getting her ready for school, I didn't have any food here as I hadn't actually had any time to get something for breakfast so I got my phone out and dialled Lori's number "Hey Carol" She said as she answered "I'm leaving in a few minutes" She told me.

"That's not why I rang" I confessed "I know you have already done so much for me but I need a favour… I haven't been able to get food so I was just wondering if you had something you could bring with you for Sophia's breakfast?" I questioned feeling embarrassed.

"Of course I had already thought of that, I went shopping last night and got you a couple bits. It's not a lot but it should tide the two of you over for at least a week and I've got her a packed lunch for school so don't be worrying about lunch money" She said.

I breathed a sigh of relief "Lori you are an absolute life saver" I said.

"Just remember all of this, if you ever win the lottery I want half" She joked.

The front door knocked a little while later and I looked through the eye hole first and saw Carl, Rick and Lori standing on the other side, I let them in and they closed the door behind them "Any trouble last night? Phone calls or anything?" Rick asked.

"No" I answered.

"Kids lets go make some breakfast" Lori said and lead them away to the small kitchen so me and Rick could talk.

"He went home last night and smashed the place up. He came banging on my door asking where you were but we said he didn't know and I told him if he made any more noise or knocked on my door again then I would arrest him" He explained.

"Thank you… I know I keep saying it but I am never going to be able to repay you and Lori for everything you have done for me and Sophia. You have done more for her in the last twenty four hours then her daddy's done in her whole life" I told him.

"Well you don't need to keep thanking us, we're friends it's what we do" He said with a shrug as if it was nothing.

**If you haven't guessed this is a CarolXDaryl story. Thank you for reading the first chapter I hope that you continue to read and you will enjoy the rest of it. **


	2. Reunited

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 2 - Reunited  
****Daryl Dixon**

The alarm went off and I groaned as I turned it off and got out of bed and hopped in the shower before getting dressed and going downstairs where I seen Merle passed out on the sofa with beer cans littered around him and some pill bottles on the coffee table. Just to make sure he was still alive I kicked his foot and he groaned at turned over, I just rolled my eyes at him and went into the kitchen and found myself something to eat before leaving for work.

As I walked into the garage I was greeted by my boss Dale. Dale was sixty five years old man who had started this business when he was just eighteen years old, if you wanted to know anything about cars then Dale is your guy. He employed me five years ago and had put me in charge of motorcycles which was pretty awesome… I preferred motorcycles to cars anyway but sometimes we didn't have many bikes so I would help out with the cars.

T-Dog was a good friend of mine at work and we had gone out a couple times for a beer for him and Merle didn't get along so we didn't hang out as much anymore outside of work, I don't blame him to be honest I wouldn't want to hang out with Merle either.

"What's up man?" T-Dog asked as I approached him.

"Hey" I just replied.

"Dale's got three bikes needing your services today" He told me and pointed towards Dale's office.

"Awesome" I said.

I finished the bikes just before lunchtime and Dale said I could have an extra half hour break for all the hard work so I jumped in my truck and headed to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner as Merle wouldn't do it. Merle was probably not going to be home for dinner, I bet you anything right now he's pissed with his friends in some crack house or something. That's what Merle does best.

Me and Merle had the same brutal up bringing and he uses that as an excuse to be the asshole he is but he can't use that as an excuse, I got out to work and I pay my bills. I'll admit I don't have a good job, I don't have a diploma from high school, I don't have a college education but I still got one and I'm trying to make the most of what I have. Believe it or not but Merle actually does have a high school diploma… don't ask me how because he was in juvi for most of his high school life but he managed it, he's not as dumb as everyone thinks he is.

In fact I would say that my upbringing was worse then his because he had a mom growing up and I didn't, she died when I was young and then Merle was in juvi and my dad was running off with any woman he could find for weeks on end so I brought myself up. Merle on the other hand, he had my mom living with him and as much as I hate my dad he still had him living there and he was a somewhat parent figure when he wasn't high or pissed.

As I walked into the grocery store I picked up a basket and walked the isles and got a few things and as I got to the frozen food isle I seen someone I never thought I would see again. Carol. We had been best friends in high school until she married that douchbag Ed, he was an asshole and I don't think Carol knows this but me and Ed had it out a few times after I found bruises on her. She told me that they wasn't from him but I knew they were, I think she forgets that I grew up in an abusive home so I know all the signs and she was showing them all.

I approached her and she looked up as I stopped next to her "Daryl?" She asked and I just nodded at her, she put her basket down and wrapped her arms around me. I put one arm around her waist and for a moment and then we pulled away "How you been?" She asked.

Just as I was about to answer I studied her face and seen a small cut above her eye "I'm ok, what happened to you?" I asked.

"Daryl don't start, I'm not with him no more" She replied.

"Good. He was an asshole anyway" I told her.

Someone cleared their throat behind me and I turned to see officer Grimes, or as Merle called him, officer friendly, he had arrested Merle a few times and I had gone down to bail him out so we had gotten to know each other pretty well "Sheriff" I said.

"Mr Dixon" He said "You ok Carol?" He asked her.

"Yeah don't worry about Daryl, he's a very good old friend" She told him and he studied me for a moment "I'll be by the checkout" He said and walked off.

"Personal body guard?" I questioned.

"I don't really wanna talk about it here" She told me "How about you come over for dinner tonight? We can catch up" She said.

"Sounds good" I replied.

"Great" She said "Oh I hope you don't mind but I have a daughter…" She said.

"That's fine" I told her.

She dug around in her bag and got out a pen and a small piece of paper and wrote something down and handed it to me, I seen it was the address of the local motel and the door number "Come by about six?" She questioned.

"Yeah" I said.

She hugged me before walking off again.

**Carol Peletier**

At six the door knocked to my room and I opened it to see Daryl stood on the other side, I waved to the officer sitting outside so he knew that Daryl was ok to come in and then closed the door behind him. Daryl came in and had a look around and his eyes landed on Sophia "Daryl this is my daughter, Sophia. Sophia this is my friend from high school Daryl" I introduced. Daryl gave her a small wave and Sophia gave Daryl a small smile before going back to her homework "You hungry?" I asked.

"Starvin'" He answered and I smiled.

I gave him a beer which I had picked up grocery shopping today. I know Lori had given me stuff to last a week but I liked doing a two week shop, saves going out all the time so once Sophia was at school Rick accompanied me to the grocery store so I could pick up a couple things and once I knew Daryl was coming over I got some beer as well.

The table only had two chairs so I told Sophia and Daryl to sit down but Sophia said she was comfortable on the bed doing her homework so after warning her not to spill anything on the bed I put her plate down on the bed and sat down at the table with Daryl "So you been?" I asked.

"Alright, you?" He answered.

"I'm ok now. Things were bad with Ed for a little while but now I'm free" I said.

"What happened?" He asked and I explained all that had gone on yesterday and he was shocked "He didn't deserve you anyway, he was a jackass" He told me.

"I know" I replied.

"He beat you often?" He asked.

"Pretty much every day" I answered.

"Why didn't you tell me when I asked you all them years ago? I could've sorted it for you like I always had and then you could have had a better life" He questioned.

"I should have been honest but I thought he would change and when I told him that I was pregnant he did until Sophia was three weeks old… then he went back to his old self and I feel guilty for letting Sophia grow up like that" I confessed and looked over at her, she was drawing something not even listening to us.

"He ever lay his hands on her?" He asked indicating to Sophia.

"Once" I answered "I was out grocery shopping and she was in our backyard with a Rick and Lori's son Carl playing. They got muddy and she came in the house with muddy shoes, he slapped her hard across the face making her fall over. Carl ran home and told his dad who arrested him" I explained.

"He's lucky he got arrested because I tell you what, if I knew he had done that then I would've killed him" Daryl said.

"I know you would of" I replied.

"So… how long you got here?" He asked.

"Two weeks" I answered.

"Then what you gonna do?" He asked.

"I dunno. I don't have a job so I can't pay for an apartment, Ed did all of that. I don't have a lot of savings but I can probably get another week out of it here" I confessed.

"Why don't you stay with me?" He asked and I looked at him in shock "Well I have a spare bedroom. It's got a double bed and a wardrobe, there's an en suite too but Merle lives in the house too" He told me.

"Merle?" I asked and he nodded "After all these years it's still you and Merle?" I questioned.

"Yeah can't seem to get rid of him" He said "So… what'd ya say?" He asked.

"Are you sure?" I questioned.

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't" He answered.

"Ok then… thank you" I said.

I cannot believe that Daryl had offered for me and Sophia to come and live with him! I was nervous about Merle being there because I know that he led a life full of drugs and booze and I didn't want Sophia around people like that but I didn't really have any other option. I didn't have any money or any job and Daryl offered a spare room with an en suite, he really was a great friend.

Before we moved in I wanted Sophia to get used to Daryl, she needed to know that she could trust Daryl so this weekend the three of us were going to go out to the park for an hour or so. Once Sophia got to know Daryl she was going to love him and they were going to get along like a house on fire! Daryl was a good man and I know Sophia will see that soon enough and know that not every man is like her daddy.

"Look I better bet going and make sure Merle ain't turned my place into a crack house" Daryl said.

"Yeah of course" I said and we both stood up "Sophia say goodbye" I told her.

She gave him a small smile "Goodbye Mr Daryl" She said.

"Just Daryl's fine" He said "Bye Sophia" We walked to the door and I opened it and hugged him.

"Thank you Daryl… for everything" I said.

"No problem" He said and walked off "And if you er… get any trouble then give me a call and I'll come sort it" He said.

"I don't have your number" I told him.

"Give me your phone" He said and I got it out of my pocket and handed it to him, he put his number in and handed it back "Now you have" He said.

"Thank you, I'll see you later" I said.

"Goodnight" He replied and left.

I closed the door behind him and locked it before turning back to Sophia who was staring at me "Right let's get you ready for bed" I said.

"Mom?" She questioned.

"What's wrong sweetie?" I asked.

"Is dad going to come looking for us?" She asked me looking scared.

"Honestly honey I think he will but we've got Rick looking after us and the police department and now Daryl looking out for us, I promise you that he won't ever hurt you or me ever again" I told her.

"But what if they can't look after us?" She asked.

"Then I'll look after you… nothing is going to happen to you… ever" I answered.

**Thank you for reading, please leave a review and check out my other story, Black Water, thank you.**


	3. Park

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 3 - Park  
****Carol Peletier**

Today was Saturday and I was going to the park with Sophia and Daryl so the two of them could get to know each other a little better before we all start living together. Daryl was going to picking us up a lunchtime and I knew Sophia was worried about it because last night we were talking about it and she said that Daryl looked scary but I promised her that he wasn't and that Daryl was a good man who would look after her. I told her how he looked after me in high school and always helped me out when I needed it and after that she seemed to calm down a little.

I looked over at Sophia who was still asleep so I decided to have a quick shower before she got up so I grabbed my clothes and a towel before going into the bathroom and closing the door. I stripped my clothes off and looked in the little mirror to see that the bruises I had were almost gone and the cut above my eyes had completely gone, I no longer looked like a battered woman… but I still felt like it.

As lunchtime rolled around the door knocked and I looked through the peep hole to see Daryl standing there, I opened the door and let him in before closing the door behind him "We're nearly ready, Sophia's just in the bathroom" I told him and grabbed my shoes from the bottom of the bed "Thank you for doing this today" I said to him.

"That's ok. I don't want Sophia coming to my house and not be comfortable" He replied.

The bathroom door opened and Sophia saw Daryl standing there "Hi Daryl" She said softly.

"Hi Sophia. You ok?" He asked her.

"Yes thank you" She answered and went and got her shoes.

Once we had everything we would need we went out to Daryl's truck. I had told Rick that Daryl was taking me and Sophia out and we wouldn't need an officer today and so I didn't need to let anyone know that I was leaving. We walked to Daryl's truck and he helped Sophia get in as she couldn't quite reach the step and she thanked him quietly, she sat between the two of us but she held onto my arm.

When we got to the park she walked beside us quietly and I watched as other kids ran off to play on their favourite thing, they were laughing and enjoying themselves. I know that because of Sophia's upbringing she's closed off and I felt really guilty about that, I have no one to blame for the way Sophia is now but myself "Sophia what's your favourite thing to play on?" Daryl asked her.

She pointed over to the swings and the three of us walked over to them. Sophia sat on the swing and then turned to Daryl "Can you push me?" She asked him.

"Course" He answered and started pushing her.

Within half an hour her and Daryl were the best of friends and she was starting to latch onto him, I was glad that she liked Daryl now and knew that he wasn't going to hurt her or me. That's what Sophia was worried about, she didn't want me getting hurt again and it's a shame that someone so young has all that weight on their shoulder. I watched from a bench as Sophia and Daryl played on a climbing frame together, I couldn't help but smile at the two of them.

They were soon exhausted from playing and came and sat down beside me on the bench "Tired?" I asked Daryl with a grin.

"I ain't ran around that much in a long time" He said and laughed a little.

"Mom can I have some ice cream?" Sophia asked.

"Sure sweetie" I said and the three of us got up from the bench and walked towards the ice cream stand "What one do you want?" I asked her.

"Mint" She answered.

"Mint? It's all about the chocolate" Daryl said to her.

"No! Caramel is the best" I argued.

It was our turn next "Can I get a small mint ice cream and a medium caramel and a medium chocolate ice cream please?" Daryl asked the woman. As she got the ice cream I put my hand in my bag to get some money out when Daryl shook his head "It's alright I got it" He said and got his wallet.

"Daryl I'll get them" I said.

"Carol it's ice cream relax" He told me.

The woman came back with all three ice creams and as I handed Sophia hers and took mine Daryl paid her and we walked away "Thank you Daryl" Sophia said as we sat on the grass in the sun.

"That's alright" He answered.

"Yeah, thank you" I said and he smiled.

The three of us sat there in the sun talking and laughing and to someone looking in you would think that the three of us were a little happy family that had no struggles, of course that wasn't true… the three of us had tough lives and we wasn't a family. Daryl would have been the better choice for me back then because he was as good then as he is now. I admit that when I was sixteen I did have a crush on Daryl and I the two of us flirted a little and he was the first person I made out with but it felt strange to me. Things were awkward between me and Daryl for a little while after we kissed but then we forgot about it and we went back to being just friends.

I'm surprised that Daryl isn't married to someone because he is such a catch! He's good looking, hard working, generous and he's just an all round good guy. Don't get me wrong he's not perfect he has his faults, for example, he has a short fuse and sometimes when he gets angry he just can't help it but I know he's never hit a woman or child. Daryl was abused by his dad when he was a child so that's why he got so mad when he found out Ed had hit Sophia once, he's got this thing about protecting kids.

His brother Merle is an asshole there's no doubting it, he doesn't work and he lives off his little brother, he takes drugs and he drinks but if he ever saw a kid getting hit or bullied or something he would step in. I remember once in high school when Merle came to pick Daryl up in his car, he seen this little kid was getting picked on outside and he got out of his car and beat up the bullies.

I don't think Daryl knows this but once when me and Ed went out to dinner Merle saw Ed pushing me in the car park and Merle punched Ed in the face. That one punch knocked Ed out cold for a good minute and a half and although I was glad someone had stepped in to help I was also embarrassed that someone had seen it. Merle gave me a lift home and said to call him if I needed help with anything.

"You've gone quiet" Daryl said.

"Just thinking about old times" I replied.

"Carol!" I heard an angry shout from behind me and turned around to see Ed storming towards us. The three of us stood up and Sophia ran behind me hiding away and Daryl stood in front of us in a protective manor "Get outta my way" He said to Daryl.

"That ain't gonna happen" Daryl stated. He reached into his pocket and got out the keys to his truck and handed them to me "Go get in the truck" He said to me not once turning to face me.

I grabbed Sophia's hand and dragged her off towards the car and as we walked off we could hear Ed shouting in the background trying to call us back. We reached the truck and got in, I locked the doors and Sophia cuddled into me and started crying "It's okay baby" I soothed.

**Daryl Dixon**

Carol and Sophia rushed off towards the truck and Ed tried shouting after them but they just carried on walking and I couldn't help but smile at the fact that now Carol can walk away from him without looking back. When she first got with this creep if he said jump she would ask him how high, now that she's left him he can't handle it he needs her but she don't need him anymore "That's my family" He said and put his finger in my chest trying to intimidate me.

"Not no more, she left your ass" I stated.

I could see that he was getting angry and ready to hit me "Go on hit me. I'll call Rick and tell him your hassling her and you'll get your fat ass put in jail. Going against probation ain't a good move and I'm sure Carol will actually press charges this time so you'll get locked up" I explained to him.

"She don't have the balls" He said.

"That's what you think" I replied with a smirk.

Ed threw a punch but I saw it coming so I managed to move out of the way and then I dropped him to the floor and held him down. The guy was twice my size but I had muscle, he just had fat so I was stronger then him and he tried to push me off him but I held onto him and then I punched him in the face a couple times.

Sirens came from behind me and then I was being dragged off him, I looked up to see Rick standing above me "He threw the first punch" I said and held my hands up "Ask anyone" I stated and indicated to all the people that had seen what happened.

Rick helped me stand up "What happened?" He asked.

"He came storming over to Carol screaming and shouting so I gave her my car keys and she's sitting in the truck. He threw the first punch so I knocked his fat ass to the ground and punched back" I explained.

I looked over at Ed and seen that he was laying on his front on the ground and handcuffed "Shane take him to the car" Rick said and the other guy helped Ed stand up and then they walked away from us "Carol and Sophia alright?" He asked.

"Sophia's scared but other then that they're alright" I answered.

"Ok good" He said.

"Can I go?" I asked and he nodded.

When I got to my truck I seen Sophia and Carol sitting in there, Carol unlocked the truck and I sat in the driving seat. Sophia moved from Carol's side into my side and cried into my shoulder, I wrapped my around her shoulders and tried to comfort her but I wasn't all that good at it "Rick came and got him, he's gone now" I told her hoping that would make her feel better.

"Are you hurt?" Carol asked me.

"No I'm alright… Ed on the other hand…" I trailed off and I seen Carol smirk.

"He's go against his probation, do you think he'll get locked up?" She asked.

"I hope so but I don't know" I answered.

"God I hope he don't get released and find me" She stated.

"That ain't gonna happen" I replied.

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"Because Rick won't allow it" I answered.

"You won't let him hurt us will you Daryl?" Sophia asked.

"Of course I won't" I answered.

"Can you stay tonight?" Sophia asked me and looked up at me with her big blue eyes.

"That's down to your mom" I replied.

Sophia turned to Carol and she looked between me and Sophia before opening her mouth to speak "You can stay if you wanna stay" She said.

"I don't mind" I replied.

"Thank you Daryl" Sophia said and wrapped her arms around me putting her head on my chest, I gave her a gentle squeeze before removing my arm from around her and starting the truck. Sophia stopped hugging me so I could drive and I started the drive to my place so that I could get some things for the night.

**Thank you for all of the support you people have given me I really appreciate it. Please review this chapter to tell me what you think.**


	4. Merle

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 4 - Merle  
****Carol Peletier**

As me and Sophia were moving in with not just Daryl but Merle as well it was decided that Merle needed to meet Sophia. I know Sophia wasn't going to like Merle because he's loud and she doesn't like loud people because it reminds her of when Ed used to shout and scream at me and her. Just to be on the safe side we were bringing Merle to the motel because then Sophia is in her own environment and it might make her feel that little bit more comfortable. If things didn't go well today then I don't know what is going to happen, I wouldn't want Sophia moving in with Merle if she didn't like him… she deserves to be happy now and be brought up normally.

Sophia sat on one of the chairs at the table doing some colouring which she did when she was nervous. Daryl was already here as he came from work and Merle was due to be here within the next half hour, Daryl had told Merle not to drink or do any drugs today because of Sophia and even though Merle said he wouldn't you never knew with Merle because let's be honest, he's not the most reliable person in the world. Daryl had told me and Sophia not to rely on him for anything but I already knew this, I think Daryl forgets that I knew Merle all them years ago.

It must have been twenty minutes later when the door knocked and the three of us took a deep breath, Daryl went and answered the door as I went over to stand by Sophia and make sure she was calm. Daryl let Merle in and waved to Rick who was sitting in a police car opposite the room and then closed the door "Hello Merle, it's been a while" I said and smiled at him.

"Alright Carol" He said in greeting "And who's this?" He asked indicating to Sophia.

"This is my daughter Sophia" I said "Sophia that's Merle, he's Daryl's big brother" I told her and she gave him a small smile then gripped onto my hand.

"I hear you might be coming to live in Daryl's house with us" He said to Sophia.

Sophia didn't reply to him and I could tell she was scared "Soph why don't you show Merle your drawings?" I suggested. Merle and Sophia went over to the table, Merle sat on one of the seats and Sophia sat opposite him and they started talking about the drawings on the table that Sophia had done.

Merle was nervous and he wasn't hiding it. I was surprised that he seemed so nervous to meet Sophia but Daryl had explained to me before Merle got here that he had a soft spot for kids because of his childhood. Me and Daryl stood and watched the two of them and within 10 minutes Sophia was sitting on Merle's lap and they were colouring in something "Thank God for that" I said to Daryl and he just smirked.

Ten minutes later we decided to go out somewhere as it was such a nice day so I told Rick that he could go, I was with the Dixon brothers nothing was going to happen to me and Sophia anymore. Rick wasn't even meant to be here today but when Ed got let out on bail after he got someone to pay it he was going crazy and was smashing up the house and Rick was worried that he was going to find me. I had told Rick that now I was being looked after Daryl and Merle and that I no longer needed the police to be my own bodyguards and that was the end of that.

We ended up at the park again and whilst Merle went off to buy Sophia some ice cream me and Daryl took her to the swings, Daryl pushed her on the swings as I stood there watching them. Now that Sophia and Merle got along we were going to be moving in with them for a while until I could get a job and buy my own place, once I did have my own place I would have Rick, Lori, Carl, Daryl and Merle round for dinner everyday after they had done so much for me.

Sophia jumped off the swing as Merle came back with her ice cream and we went over to some grass and we all sat down together "So when you movin' in?" Merle asked.

"Next week" I answered "If you want to Soph?" I questioned and she just nodded at me, she was more interested in her ice cream then speaking to me. When Sophia finished her ice cream her and Merle ran off to play and get comfortable around each other and I just sat on the grass with Daryl "Merle's good with her" I commented.

"Like I told ya, he's got a soft spot for kids" He replied.

"What happened to your dad?" I asked him, I had been dying to ask him since I ran into him again.

"Dunno. About ten years ago he ran off with some old chick and that was the last I heard from him… might be dead, might be alive, might be ill or he might be fine. Honestly I don't know and I really don't care" He snapped. I didn't know what to say to that so I stayed quiet and I heard Daryl sigh "Sorry for snapping it's just… he makes me angry" He told me.

"It was none of my business" I replied.

"Well it don't matter no more cause he's gone" He said.

There are so many times in high school that Daryl would come into class with black eyes, split lips, limping or in pain when he breathed. I knew before he spoke what had happened to him and it was them nights after school when he would come home with me for dinner and my parents would let him sleep on the sofa, have a shower and give him a change of clothes. My parents loved Daryl and secretly I think they were hoping that the two of us would end up together.

Sadly both of my parents were dead yet but before they died they had both begged me to leave Ed but I told them that the two of us were fine and they confronted me about the marks on my but I lied like I did with Daryl and told him that I was ok. If I had told Daryl the truth or my parents then maybe things could have happened differently, Sophia could have had a good upbringing where she wasn't scared of her father or men in general. I was surprised that Sophia had latched onto Merle and Daryl so well so soon because the only males Sophia has trusted her whole life is Carl and Rick.

A little while later Merle and Sophia came back from playing and they were both tired from running around. Sophia sat in between me and Daryl but instead of laying her head on my shoulder like I thought she was going to do, she laid down on the grass with her feet on my lap and she put her head on his knees "You tired?" I asked her.

"Little" She replied.

I sat with the Dixon brothers and as the sun started to set I decided that I should take Sophia home but when I looked down I saw that she was fast asleep and I was about to wake her up with Daryl shook his head at me. He carefully moved her head off his knee and then he picked her up and we went to the truck, she was carefully put in the truck and then we went back to the motel.

All of us got to the motel and Daryl carried her into the room and into bed, we put the covers on her. It was a nice evening so after I got Merle and Daryl a beer each I grabbed the two chairs I had and took them outside the front, Me and Daryl sat in the chairs and Merle sat on the path in front of us and we just got into an easy conversation.

"You know… I'm surprised you two never bumped some uglies" Merle said laughing.

"A lot people had the same thought" I said.

"Her parents loved me!" Daryl said with a smile.

"They did. They told me to leave Ed and get with you once" I admitted.

"You gonna bump uglies now?" Merle asked with raised eyebrows.

"No!" We both answered really quickly.

"Whatever" He replied and stood up "Look I got people to meet, I'll see you later Carol… goodbye Darlena" He said and he walked off.

"Darlena?" I questioned.

"I don't know where he got that name from" He replied and rolled his eyes.

**Daryl Dixon**

Me and Carol sat outside just reminiscing about high school and some of the happier times in our life, she told me about the moment Sophia was born and how when she felt when she held her for the first time. Carol wanted to name her Taylor but Ed said he didn't like it and when the nurse asked what the baby's name was he said it was Sophia, it was his grandmother's name and he had decided that was what her name was going to be.

As Carol told me more and more stories about Ed I became more and more angry at what he had done. Carol was the nicest person in the world and she didn't have a bad bone in her body and yet she ended up with someone like Ed, if I ever saw him again I was gonna kick his teeth in and I don't care if Rick or anyone else showed up. People like Ed don't end up in prison no matter how many times they get arrested.

I know from experience, my dad was never locked up for beating on my mama or me or Merle… yeah he was locked up for drugs but that was all. The amount of times my mama promised she was going to go to the police and get rid of him once and for all was unbelievable but then as Merle got older and started fighting back she said that we could take care of ourselves and didn't need the police.

Sophia screaming from inside the motel made me and Carol jump up and rush inside. She was thrashing around on the bed screaming but she was still asleep, she was having a nightmare. Carol jumped on the bed and woke Sophia up who just started crying into Carol "What's wrong sweetheart?" Carol asked her.

"Daddy" She replied crying.

"He's not coming back Soph" Carol told her.

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"Because I'm here" I answered and both of them turned to look at me "I ain't gonna let him hurt either again I promise" I told her.

"Pinkie swear?" Sophia asked holding out her pinkie.

"Pinkie swear" I said and we locked pinkies.

Carol calmed Sophia down and tucked her back into bed and I thought that it best if I go so I smiled softly at Carol and turned around but Sophia's voice made me turn around again "Can you stay tonight… please?" She asked with her big puppy dog eyes.

"Sure" I answered and she smiled before closing her eyes.

Once she was asleep me and Carol went back outside and sat down on the chairs again but neither of us spoke for a while we just sat there in silence. There was nothing I could say, Sophia had nightmares about her daddy coming to hurt her and Carol and it just reminded me of my childhood. I used to have nightmares and Merle had to wake me up and he would send me back to sleep promising to stay on watch all night in case my dad came in to beat on us.

"She's latched onto you" Carol said.

"I'm a loveable person" I joked and we both laughed.

"You and Rick have been great to her. You two have done more for her then her daddy has in her whole life and that's a sad fact but it's a fact" She told me.

"Well I hope you and Sophia know that if either of you need anything then you can come to me… Merle as well" I said.

"I know" She replied and yawned.

"Go and get some sleep" I told her.

"What about you?" She asked.

"What about me?" I questioned.

"You promised Sophia you would stay" She said.

"And I will" I answered.

"Come inside. There's a spare pillow and blanket" She told me.

We took the chairs inside and put them back around the table and Carol got out the spare pillow and blanket that was in a cupboard and I set them down at the end of bed, Carol got into bed beside Sophia and we said goodnight to each other before I laid down and the sleep over took me.

**I am loving all of the support I've had so far I really appreciate it. Thank you! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think of this chapter! **


	5. Moving

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 5 - Moving  
****Carol Peletier**

Today was moving day! Last night me and Sophia had packed up all of our things and I had them in my car already waiting and ready to go. Me and Daryl had come to the agreement that I would go to his at midday because then that would give him a chance to get up, showered and cleaned up and although I offered to help him with the cleaning he said he would do it himself. Sophia gets up early so I just cleaned up what I could in the motel room before we had to go, Sophia was excited to be moving in with Daryl and Merle because she feels safe with them.

I had told her that Merle probably wasn't going to be there all that much and when she asked why I told her that he went out with his friends a lot but I didn't say that he drinks or does drugs because I know she would stop liking Merle. The only people Sophia felt safe with was Merle, Daryl, Rick, Lori and Carl so I wasn't going to tell her and make that list shorter. I hated that Merle did all the drink and drugs but there was no changing him now this far in his life but I knew he would be there when he was needed.

As midday rolled around me and Sophia got in the car and we drove Daryl's house and as soon as we pulled up in the driveway Sophia was getting ready to jump out the car. As soon as I stopped the car Sophia jumped out and went and knocked on the door, Daryl answered and smiled at us then he came over and helped me grab all the stuff out of the car and into the house. He showed us to the bedroom me and Sophia were going to be sharing and then he took us down the stairs to show us the rest of the house.

He didn't have the biggest house in the world but is was cosy. Everything was clean and tidy and it seemed that everything had it's place but it wasn't going to stay like this for long with Sophia around. We went into the backyard and seen that Daryl had set out a bbq for us and surprisingly Merle was there, Sophia went over to him and they started speaking "You alright?" Daryl asked me.

"For the first time in a long time… I really am ok" I answered and we smiled at each other "Thank you for doing all of this" I said to him.

"It's nothin'" He replied with a shrug.

"No it is something. You've been great to us and I hope I can repay you one day" I said.

"Stop stressing about it and just go with it" He told me.

"Ok… thank you" I said once again before going over to Sophia.

A short while later the four of us were sitting around a table in the backyard eating the food that Merle and Daryl had cooked on the bbq and we were all having a laugh. Daryl was telling Sophia how good my parents were to him, sadly Sophia never get to know her grandparents all that well so I know she was liking the stories that she was hearing "Was you my moms boyfriend?" Sophia asked.

Merle started laughing at her "No she was just a very good friend… my best friend" Daryl answered.

"Why did you stop being friends?" She asked.

"We never stopped being friends" I told her.

"But you didn't talk for ages because I don't remember him" She stated.

"We just… lost contact. That happens sometimes with friends" Daryl said.

"You won't lose contact again will you?" She asked.

"It will be a little hard considering we live here" I replied.

"But we're not living here forever" She stated.

"Don't worry, we ain't gonna lose contact again" Daryl told her.

Merle left not long after to go and meet some of his friends and I heard Daryl tell him quietly not to pass out on the sofa and to at least make it to the bedroom because of Sophia and Merle said he would. I feel as though because me and Sophia are living here we they can't do the stuff they normally do or act themselves, if Merle wants to pass out on his sofa then he should be able to… Sophia is used to it anyway she's seen her daddy do it enough times.

After Merle left things became quiet and I after looking at my watch I saw that it was getting late and Sophia should be getting ready to go to bed as it was a school night, she said goodnight to Daryl and the two of us went upstairs and she jumped in the shower as I got her pyjamas ready and packed her school bag for the morning. When she came out of the shower I dried her hair and put her pyjamas on her then tucked her into bed, I read her a story and told her I lover her before kissing her on the forehead and going back downstairs.

Daryl was cleaning up in the kitchen when I got downstairs and I told him to take a beer, sit down and relax and I would do the washing up. He said he didn't want me doing everything like a housewife so we compromised, I washed and he dried. Me and Daryl were a good team and I knew that me living here was going to be a good thing.

Once all of the cleaning up was done me and Daryl went back out in the backyard as it was a nice evening and we sat around the table again, Daryl offered me a beer but I refused telling him I don't drink unless it's a special occasion and even then I don't drink very much. Daryl told me is was a special occasion because I was moving in with him and I was starting a new life with Sophia, I finally agreed to just have the one beer.

"I know you probably don't wanna talk about him but… how bad did things get with you and Ed?" Daryl asked me after a long silence.

"Pretty bad" I replied "He would beat me for the smallest things. His dinner wasn't hot enough, the house wasn't tidy enough, the car wasn't clean enough, I wasn't speaking like a lady should, I wasn't a good driver, I wasn't washing up fast enough… any little thing that he could pick on he did" I explained.

"Why not leave him before?" He asked.

"I know every woman says this but I was scared" I answered with a sigh.

"Of what?" He asked.

"I was scared that if I left him that he would go to court and get Sophia taken off me. His dad was a lawyer you see so he'd probably have the judge on his side… he threatened me with it all the time" I explained.

"No one would take her off you, you're a good mom to her and she loves you" He stated.

"You don't know Ed… or his family" I said.

"I know men like him, see 'em all the time round here. Get drunk and beat on their wives for nothin'… the men that do that do it because they can't fight a man. If me or Merle were to fight Ed he would lose…" He told me.

"That's true" I stated "Every time Rick would get involved he would back down but when it was just me and him… sometimes he would punch me in the face like he would a full grown man in a bar fight" I said.

"Well I hope you know that you don't need to worry any more because me and Merle ain't gonna let anything happen to you or your little girl" He said.

"Oh I know" I told him with a smile.

"Want another beer?" He asked standing up.

"No I'm going to get some sleep it's been a long day and I have to get up early tomorrow" I said and also stood from my chair, the two of us walked inside and Daryl put his empty bottle in the bin "Thank you again for everything" I said and kissed his cheek, we smiled at each other and I left him in the kitchen and went upstairs.

**Daryl Dixon**

As Carol told me what Ed had done to her and explained why she hadn't left him sooner I became more angry at him. Carol was the best mother to Sophia and I can't believe he would use his dads position to take Sophia away to make a point, Sophia didn't deserve to be used like a pawn in some sick game. I wished Carol had left sooner so Sophia could've had a better start in life, she had the same start in life as me and I didn't want her to be like me or Merle. I wanted Sophia to be the best she could be.

It had been a couple hours after Carol went to bed that I too decided I should get some sleep as I had work in the morning so I put my empty beer bottles in the garbage and locked the back door, turned all the lights off and headed upstairs. I walked past Carol and Sophia's room and saw the door was slightly open so I peeked me head around and saw the two of them laying in bed fast asleep. Carol had her arms protectively around Sophia and Sophia was curled into her mother, I quietly walked in the bedroom and put the cover on them that had fallen off then left closing the door behind me.

When I woke up I looked at the clock and seen that I had 45 minutes until my alarm went off and sighed in annoyance knowing that I wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep and even if I could there was no point really for 45 minutes. I got out of bed and opened my bedroom door and I could smell cooking, I then heard laughter and knew it was Sophia meaning her and Carol must already be awake.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs I saw Sophia sitting on the sofa watching cartoons eating some toast, she smiled at me in greeting and went back to watch TV. I walked into the kitchen and was greeted by a cup of coffee from Carol, I thanked her for it and leaned against the kitchen counter "Good sleep?" I asked her as she started to make some more toast.

"Yeah it lovely, the bed is very comfortable" She answered "Want some toast?" She asked and I shook my head "Merle wasn't on the sofa this morning when we came down, is he home?" She asked me.

"Dunno" I answered and sipped my coffee.

I heard small feet coming towards the kitchen and Sophia came in with an empty plate and mug which Carol took off her and put in the sink "Go and get dressed now please" Carol told her and Sophia nodded and rushed off upstairs.

Sophia's school was on my way home from work so to help Carol out it was agreed that she would drop her to school and I would pick her up on my way home from work and if we were desperate Merle would pick her up or drop her off. Sophia seemed really excited about going to school and I can't remember being like that, Carol told me that Sophia had always been excited about school but she thinks that's because it gave Sophia time away from Ed and the destructive household she was living in.

It's shocking to think that one person has had such a huge negative impact on someone's life and to know that Sophia was only 12 years old made it even more sad. Since the moment she was conceived she never really had a chance because her dad was such an asshole… now it was different because Carol had left him and they were both now living here where they would be cared for and protected properly.

Whether or not Ed likes the fact that they are now living with me I don't care but if he goes within 50 feet of either of them then I will kill him with my bare hands.

**Thank you for all of the follows, favourites and reviews so far. Make sure you continue to leave reviews and let me know what you are all thinking. Check out my other story, _16 And Pregnant_, it's a BethXDaryl story.**


	6. Crystal

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 6 - Crystal  
****Carol Peletier **

Since me and Sophia moved in with Daryl and Merle a couple months ago things have been going good for all of us. Sophia had come out of her shell so much and has since made lots of new friends at school but she says that Carl is still her best friend, I got a job working in the café next to Daryl's work place, Merle wasn't drinking as much or taking as many drugs as before because of Sophia and Daryl had gotten a huge promotion at work… the owner Dale had a heart attack and can no longer run the business so he handed over it over to Daryl and the best thing of all is that Ed has not tried to contact me since the day I saw him in the park with Daryl and Sophia.

Things between me and Daryl had also been a bit tense lately and I overheard Merle and Daryl speaking the other day and Merle told Daryl to 'ask her out baby brother… 'fore it's too late' and I thought he might have been talking about me, not because I have a big head or anything but because of how close we had become over the last couple moths. We had been having late night talks, remising about old times together and the other night we fell asleep on the sofa cuddling.

Since I heard that conversation he has been a little distant with me and I don't know if it's because he knew I was listening and he was embarrassed or if he was waiting for the right time to talk to me or maybe he hadn't been talking about me at all and he was putting distance between us so I wouldn't be crushed if he had a girlfriend. If he did have a girlfriend that I didn't know about then I would be crushed because I thought things were progressing with us and truth be told I have a huge crush on him and he knows it.

I wanted to tell him that I had heard his conversation with Merle but I don't want it to sound like I was eavesdropping or something. If he knew that I know about the conversation then he might open up to me about it, whether it be me he's asking out or someone else but I want to know so at least there I know where I stand with him. Which is why I had planned to speak to him when he came home from work today because Sophia was going to Carl's for the evening to have dinner and play with Carl and I was due to pick her up about 8pm so me and Daryl had all that time to talk.

The problem was that I didn't know how to come out with it. I don't wanna just blurt it out but then again I don't want to be stressing about it all evening I just want to get it over and done with. I needed more time to think this through but I knew my time had ran out when I heard Daryl's truck pull up on the driveway, I took a deep breath and went into the living room and sat down on the sofa and put the TV on like everything was normal.

"Hey" He said and went to go upstairs.

"Hi. Can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked him and he came towards me in the living room and sat down next to me on the sofa "We're really good friends right?" I asked him.

"Course we are" He answered.

"You see… I heard you and Merle talking the other day. I wasn't eavesdropping or anything I was just in the living room and heard you talking in the kitchen" I explained.

"Right" He said and sighed "Well… I guess you're going to find out sooner or later, I'm dating a girl called Crystal" He admitted.

"Ok well, how'd you meet?" I asked him.

"I don't mean to sound like I'm blowing you off any nothin' but I've gotta go get showered and changed to go and meet her. I'll bring her back here later and you can talk and get to know her, I'd love it if the two of you to get along" He told me.

"Sure" I replied with a fake smile.

Daryl went up stairs and 30 minutes later her rushed out the door giving me a short goodbye as he closed the door behind him and I sighed as my head hit the back of the sofa. Of course he was dating someone else! Daryl was a good looking guy and he was very sweet, he could have anyone he wanted. His girlfriend was probably a 20 something year old girl who had an amazing figure and a bright future ahead of her, that's the sort of girl that Daryl deserves not someone like me who comes with huge amounts of baggage like a child and a violent ex husband.

Merle came home an hour or so later and went into the kitchen to grab himself a beer before coming back into the living room "What's got you looking all depressed sugar tits?" He asked as he opened the beer and sat down next to me.

"What have I said about calling me that?" I questioned and he just smirked "And nothing's wrong" I told him.

"I may be a drunk but I'm not stupid" He said "Is it Daralena's new girlfriend?" He asked.

"You know her?" I asked.

"Lots of people know her" He replied.

"How so?" I questioned.

"Well let me put it this way… that is a station many trains have visited" He answered.

It got to 7pm and I had to leave in around half hour to go and pick Sophia up from the Grime's house and I wanted Daryl to be back here with this Crystal girl before I had to leave because I wanted to check her out before I brought Sophia back. Me and Merle were sitting in the backyard when we heard a car pull up on the drive way and we both looked at each other knowing it was Daryl and Crystal but we just decided to play it cool. We pretended we didn't even hear them.

The came out from the backdoor and I looked her over; she was a dyed blonde, green eyes, slim figure and no older then 23 like I expected but she was dressed like a complete and utter slut! She had on a pair of shorts that allowed half of her ass cheeks to hang out and she was wearing a top that just about covered her boobs with a pair of cowboy boots and she looked like she was on some sort of drugs "How much you wanna bet her middle name is meth?" I asked Merle quietly who laughed.

"Carol this is Crystal" He said to me as he bit his thumb nail meaning he was nervous.

"Of course it is" I said "Hi Crystal" I stated and gave her a fake smile.

"You must be the battered wife Daryl told me about" She said in a squeaky southern accent with a smile faker then mine that made me wanna hurl.

"Battered wife huh?" I questioned and looked towards Daryl.

"What did I say about not mentioning it?" He said to her.

"Oh dang it I forgot" She said.

"I've gotta go get Sophia" I told them and started walking towards the door.

When I got to the Grime's house I couldn't help but look at my old house next door which Lori had informed me had been sold to a new family who had been living there for a week now. I was jealous that they got to live in that house, I loved it so much and put so much work and effort into making it beautiful and now this new family were probably smashing it all up.

Lori answered the door and I walked inside the house closing the door behind me and went into the backyard where Rick and the kids were playing. Sophia waved at me and carried on playing knowing I was gonna tell her we had to leave "How're things with the Dixon brothers?" Lori asked.

"They're alright. They look after me and Sophia and they've actually done a lot for us" I told her and she smiled.

"What about with Daryl? You two hooking up yet?" She asked smirking.

"No" I said and she looked at me like she didn't believe me "Honestly Lori we're not. He brought home his new girlfriend today… Crystal… she's a hussy and I bet her middle name's meth" I explained to her and she started laughing "I don't blame him though, she's no older then 23, she had a pretty face, perfect body, no baggage" I said with a shrug and Lori just gave me a sympathetic look.

"I'm sure he'll come around eventually" She told me.

"Yeah right" I said "I better get going" I told her.

"Why don't you stay for a little bit" She said and I agreed.

I must have been there for nearly an hour when my cell rang out loudly, I excused myself and walked away from everyone to take the call in private. I looked at the caller ID and seen that it was Daryl calling "Hey" I said calmly as I answered.

"Hi… just making sure you were okay" He said.

"Yeah. Lori asked me to stay for a little bit so the kids could play" I told him.

"Oh I thought something might have happened where you didn't come back" He said.

"No I'm ok and so is Sophia" I told him.

"Alright well… me and Crystal are going out so I probably won't see you till tomorrow" He informed me.

"Well enjoy yourself" I said and I know he could tell I didn't mean it.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing" I answered.

"Don't lie to me Carol" He stated.

"I just don't think Crystal is the right person for you" I told him honestly.

"Why?" He asked.

"Well I've heard things" I replied.

"Like what?" He asked getting annoyed.

"Like… a lot of trains have visited that station" I repeated Merle's words.

"A lot of trains have visited that station?" He questioned with an annoyed tone.

"Yeah" I answered.

"Well I'm a big boy Carol. I don't need you or anyone else telling me who I can and cannot date! She's a nice girl and I like her, if you were my friend then you would be happy for me" He stated.

"You two ain't been together all that long and she's ruining our friendship already" I told him.

"You did that yourself" He said angrily and hung up the phone.

I sighed and put my phone back in my jeans pocket before walking over to the others again and Lori was about to ask who I had been speaking to but I just shook my head at her and she gave me a soft smile knowing it must have been Daryl "We better go, it's late and we have school tomorrow" I said.

When we got home Sophia went straight up to bed saying she would have a shower in the morning, I promised I would be up to check on her soon and went into the kitchen were I made myself a sandwich and as I ate I thought about the phone conversation I had with Daryl. Looking back I sounded like a bitch but I didn't want him to get hurt he meant to much to me for that to happen, I didn't want this hussy treating him like shit.

After I had eaten my sandwich I went upstairs to check on Sophia and saw that she was fast asleep with the covers wrapped around her, I smiled to myself and placed a kiss on her cheek before getting my pyjamas on and slipping into bed beside her. I stroked her hair smiling to myself at how beautiful my baby girl was and how proud I was of her then the sleep overtook me and I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

**So Carol doesn't like Daryl's new girlfriend (what a shock). What do you think will happen next? Thank you for reading and I would love you to leave a little comment in that review box and make my day... **


	7. Rethinking

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 7 - Rethinking  
****Daryl Dixon**

For the past couple nights I've been staying at Crystal's place cause I didn't want to go home and face Carol after our phone conversation but I miss Sophia. I was going to go there today and as it was Saturday I knew Sophia would be at home with Merle whilst Carol went to work so I didn't have to worry about seeing her just yet. Crystal wanted to come with me but I told her some bullshit about doing an extra shift at work and told her I would come back here tonight although I wasn't sure if I was or not, it depends how things work out with Carol later on.

I packed the few things up that I had at Crystal's and went out to my truck and put everything in the bed. Crystal came out and stood next to me, I kissed her and told her goodbye and got in the truck and started my journey home. It was only a short journey back but because I was feeling so nervous about facing Carol it felt like the drive went on for hours when it was only 10 minutes.

When I got to the house I parked the car and grabbed my stuff before opening the front door. I called out and Sophia came running over to me and hugged me "Daryl your back!" She said in excitement "Where you been?" She asked me.

I picked her up and we walked out to the backyard where Merle was sitting on the grass "I was at a friends house" I told her.

"Crystal?" She asked.

"Yeah" I answered. I put her down on the ground and she went and ran over to the small trampoline that me and Merle had got her and she started jumping up and down on it, I sat down next to Merle "Brother" I greeted.

"So have you stopped being a pussy now and come back to face Carol?" He asked.

"Wanted to see Sophia" I replied.

"No Crystal?" He asked.

"Not today" I answered "I wanted to talk to you about something actually" I said and he looked at me waiting for me to carry on "When me and Carol spoke on the phone she said she had heard things about Crystal… basically calling her a slut… was it you who told her that?" I asked him.

"Yup" He simply answered "I know I'm the one who told you to go for it but she's no good for you baby brother. I think you should end it with her before she gets under your skin but then again it's your life and you do what you want but remember, no relationship should ruin your friendship with Carol" He told me and I just sighed not knowing what to say after that.

He was right. Me and Carol were good friends and she lives here with me but I shouldn't let Crystal or any other woman come between me and Carol. Not only is my relationship with Crystal ruining my friendship with Carol but eventually it will ruin my relationship with Sophia if I let this continue. I didn't want anything to ruin what I had here because it was the first feeling or a real family I've ever had in my life, I've always had Merle but that was it… my pops was a stupid drunk and my momma died when I was young. Carol and Sophia help fill the missing gap.

Sophia got off the trampoline and came over to me and Merle, she sat down on the grass between us "Can we go out somewhere?" She asked us.

"Where would princess Sophia like to go?" I asked her.

"I dunno" She answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"How's about we go and make a day of it. Go to the movies and see one of your choice and then we go to McDonald's after… sound good?" I questioned.

"Yes!" She said excited and jumped up "I'm gonna go change" She said and ran into the house making me laugh a little.

Sophia deserved a treat. Every weekend she sits in the house and during the week she goes to school, comes home and does her homework. She don't ever really go out anywhere and I had gotten paid yesterday and I hadn't spent a lot of time with her this past week so this is how I could say sorry to her.

I went into the house and changed into a black t-shirt and some jeans before going back down stairs where Sophia had changed into some clean clothes, she was standing at the door with her shoes on waiting to go "You coming?" I asked Merle.

"No I got things to do" He stated. We said goodbye to Merle and left the house jumping into my truck, I made sure Sophia had put her seat belt on before pulling out of the drive and started driving towards the movie theatre "So what are you making me watch?" I asked her.

"Frozen" She replied "Daryl?" She asked.

"Yeah?" I questioned.

"Do you still like me and mom?" She asked me.

"Yeah of course I do, why you asking me a silly thing like that?" I asked.

"Because you haven't been here all week" She answered.

"I promise I'll be home more" I told her.

"Mom missed you this week" She said.

"I missed you and your momma too. I promise that I will be around more often" I told her.

"With Crystal?" She asked.

"Do you want Crystal to be there?" I asked her and she went silent "You can be honest with me, I won't be mad" I told her to reassure her. She shook her head no at me "Why don't you like her?" I asked her.

"She makes mommy sad" She answered.

"How?" I questioned.

"I can hear mommy and Merle talking sometimes at night and last night mommy was crying" She told me "Mommy said you had made the wrong choice and there was better people for you" She told me.

**Carol Peletier**

When I finished work I drove home and once there I walked in the front door to see the house empty so I went into the backyard and saw Merle sitting at the table on his phone, I waved at him and he waved back before hanging up the phone "Where's Soph?" I asked him.

"Daryl took her out, they went to the movies and McDonalds" He said.

"How long ago?" I asked.

"About hour and a half ago" He answered.

I wasn't worried about Sophia being out with Daryl because I know he would look after her and make sure she had everything that she needed. I just hope that that Daryl took her on her own without Crystal being there. I hated her and I didn't want her around my daughter and I know Sophia doesn't like her because Sophia thinks that Crystal is taking Daryl away from her.

Me and Merle had spoken last night about Daryl and Crystal. He asked me if I liked Daryl as more then a friend and I had admitted that I did really like him and I know it's crazy but me and Merle had a real heart to heart conversation, there was no jokes or anything… a serious conversation. Merle had told me that he thinks Daryl is only with Crystal to make me jealous and if that was his plan then it worked. I had ended up crying because I was so angry at him for dating a girl like her when I was here and I could give him so much more.

A couple hours later Sophia and Daryl came in, Sophia had fallen asleep and Daryl was carrying her. I smiled at him as he walked up the stairs with her, he laid her down on the bed as I stood in the doorway and he put the covers over her and turned around. The two of us walked out of the bedroom and back down stairs "Well there is too much tension in this house for me to be here" Merle said and walked out the front door.

Daryl sat down on the sofa and after I hesitated for a moment I sat down on the sofa too next to him "Are you gonna talk to me?" I asked him.

"Sophia had a good day" He stated.

"That's good, she deserves a day out somewhere… when I get paid I'll give you the money back" I said.

"I don't want your money, it was my treat" He said.

"It's always your treat" I pointed out and he just shrugged "Are we gonna talk about the elephant in the room?" I questioned.

"Sophia heard you talking to Merle last night" He stated.

"She wasn't meant to" I said.

"I know you don't like Crystal and after speaking to Merle earlier I can't let a relationship come between us Carol. I class you as my best friend and I don't want us to stop talking because of a girl" He told me.

"Daryl you can date her if you want but I don't want her around Sophia. I trust you with her but not Crystal" I said.

**Daryl Dixon**

I think I need to rethink this relationship with Crystal. It's only been a short time and it's caused nothing but problems. I didn't want nothing to ruin things with me and Carol, to be honest I don't know what I was feeling for Carol. She was my best friend but every time I looked into her eyes I felt something more then that, I didn't know if she did.

Carol said she was going to cook something to eat and got up from her seat and went into the kitchen, I walked past her and into the backyard where I got my phone out of my pocket and seen 5 missed calls from Crystal and 45 text messages. I dialled her number and hit call, it rang for a moment before she answered it "I've been trying to get a hold of you all day" She said.

"Yeah I know. I took Soph to the movies and for a McDonalds" I told her.

"Oh.. Did Carol go?" She asked.

"No she was working" I answered.

"So once again your being used as a babysitter" She said and I could tell she was angry.

"I'm not being used as a babysitter, I decided I wanted to take her out somewhere for the day. She doesn't go anywhere" I told her.

"That's not your problem" She said.

"Look I ain't gonna argue with you about Carol and Sophia" I told her.

"Are you coming back here tonight?" She asked with a sigh.

"No" I answered.

"Are you gonna ever come back?" She asked.

"I don't think so" I told her honestly.

"So you're breaking up with me?" She asked.

"Yeah" I answered.

"Screw you Daryl Dixon" She said angrily and hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone I put it in my pocket and went and got myself a beer before sitting on the sofa. I drunk the beer in seconds and then went and got myself another one, I needed a drink after that conversation. I didn't want to break up with her but I didn't see any other option, it wasn't like I thought she was the one or anything I knew it wasn't really going anywhere because we were so different.

Honestly the only person for me was Carol and the two of us knew that.

**So Daryl has admitted to himself that Carol is the only woman for him... will he tell Carol? Thank you for reading, leave me a review and let me know what's going through your pretty little heads.**


	8. Max

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 8 - Max  
****Carol Peletier**

Daryl dumped Crystal two weeks ago and since then me and Daryl have gotten back on track in our friendship but it feels like things are starting to progress between us in a more romantic way. The two of us actually went out to eat last night, it wasn't like a date or anything but Merle said he would watch Sophia for me if I wanted to relax for a couple hours and then Daryl suggested we went for something to eat so that was what we did. It was nice for me and Daryl to just do something together, just the two of us because we are so busy all the time with everything that we need to do like work and taking care of Sophia.

We spoke properly about the whole Crystal situation and we both apologised to each other and now it was behind us. When we got home from dinner last night Merle had already gone up to bed and I just watched TV with Daryl and I actually fell asleep on the sofa with Daryl's arm around my shoulder and Daryl fell asleep. Merle woke us up at 3:30am when he came down for a drink of water, it was awkward to say the least but thankfully Merle saw the funny side and none of us had mentioned it since we woke up this morning.

When we did get up this morning neither me or Daryl had work so he drove with me to take Sophia to school which she liked and then when we got home the two of us decided that we were just going to relax for the day. We had cleaned all day yesterday so nothing needed doing today apart from the odd little thing, it was going to be nice for me and Daryl just relax for the day talk.

Daryl said before we could relax though he was going to mow the lawn in the backyard as it was getting longer, it was a small backyard though so it wasn't going to take that long to do and whilst he did that I was going to do the little things that needed to be done inside the house like the dishes from breakfast and the small bit of washing that needed to be done.

An hour later me and Daryl had finished our chores and we went and sat down at the table and chairs in the backyard, it was such a nice day today and I was glad I didn't have work "Sophia liked you taking her to school today" I said to him trying to make conversation.

"Yeah it was nice dropping her off" He commented "Glad I don't have work today" He said and I just laughed "What about you? How's work going?" He asked.

"Work's alright, it's not the best job in the world but at least I'm working and doing something" I said to him and shrugged a little.

"How about we go and do something for the day? Maybe get Merle to pick Sophia up from school or something" He suggested and I have to admit it did sound like a nice idea to go out and do something.

Me and Daryl never seem to go and do anything together just the two of us but what could we do? I know exactly what we could do "Sophia's been asking me if she could have a dog… could we go look for one?" I asked him. It was his house and he might not want a dog.

"I've been wanting a dog too" He said.

"Shall we go look for one?" I asked him.

"Sure. I'll call Merle and tell him to pick Sophia up for us" He said.

Me and Daryl got to the pound and told the woman at the front desk that we were looking for a dog that is good with children and she called someone for us so they could show us around. A guy called Rob came out to us and took us through to the rehoming centre and showed us all the dogs in their cages, I wanted to take all of them home with me but I knew I couldn't.

We got to the third cage from the end and my heart melted at the sight of a sandy coloured dog. It looked so scared and I just wanted to give it a cuddle "What dog is this?" I asked Rob.

"That is our French Mastiff, his name is Max and he is 2 years old. Fully house trained, good with children and excellent temperament" He told us with a smile.

"He looks so scared" I commented.

"Max is a very social dog and he likes to put his paws on each side of the cage and stand up on his hind legs to communicate with the other dogs but they end up biting and scratching his paws so he just stays at the back now" He explained.

"We'll take him" Daryl said from behind me.

"Ok great. First we like to see how people interact with dogs so would you mind taking him to our play area" Rob said.

"I would love to" I said.

Rob directed us to the play area and told us to wait there whilst he went and got Max ready for us. As soon as Rob came through the door you could tell Max was excited to meet new people, he started sniffing us and then licked Daryl.

We started playing with him and once he got used to us he was like a different dog. He seemed full of character and he was very eager to play new games but at the same time he was obedient and did what he was told, we told Rob we would love to take him home so after filling out the paperwork and doing the payment we put Max in the truck and drove to the nearest pet shop.

I stayed in the truck with Max as Daryl went inside and got everything we were gonna need and then we drove home to see that Merle and Sophia were already home from school. Daryl told Merle and Sophia to go into the backyard and once they did we got Max out of the truck and went into the backyard.

Sophia cheered happily and rushed over to Max and started playing with him "His name's Max" I told her and she started stroking him. Max laid on his back and had his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth and wagging his tail happily "You like him?" I asked her.

"I love him" She said.

"Well… whaddya think?" I heard Daryl ask Merle.

"Good choice" Merle stated.

Ten minutes later Sophia was still playing with Max and Merle had left a couple minutes ago to go and hang out with some of his friends and Daryl had put Max's bed in mine and Sophia's bedroom. I wasn't all that happy about having Max in the bedroom but Sophia wouldn't have him sleep anywhere else, Max made her happy and feel safe so I eventually gave in to her like I always do.

Sophia was getting cold so she went inside and Max followed behind her and they settled themselves on the carpet in front of the TV. I went and made some dinner and then heard Daryl come into the kitchen behind me, he stood beside me as I cooked and we just stayed in silence for a couple moments but I hated silence so I decided to speak "Thank you for letting us get the dog, sometimes I think Sophia still forgets that it's still your house" I told him.

"How many times do we need to have this conversation? This home is yours and Sophia's too. You live here so stop all this business about it being my house" He said.

"Well as soon as I have the money I will move out like I promised" I told him.

"What if I don't want you to?" He asked.

"What if you meet a girl? Want a family? You can't have me and Sophia living here… as well as Merle, she'll run for the hills" I said with a laugh.

Daryl stopped me preparing dinner and took a step closer to me "I've already met a woman I want to be with… Carol I want you. I know I've been a dick in the past and things with Crystal but it's you that I wanna be with, if you'll have me?" He questioned.

Before I had the chance to reply Daryl took that one small step towards me and placed his lips on mine in a soft and sweet kiss. At first I didn't respond because I was in shock but the shock soon faded, I wrapped my arms around his neck and his went wrapped around my waist and I kissed him back. We went from soft and gentle to urgent and hot but I pulled away because Sophia was only next door "I've wanted you for a long time" I said to him.

"I love you Carol" He said.

"I love you too" I replied and kissed him again.

**Daryl Dixon**

When Sophia went to bed she took Max along with her and once Carol had tucked her in and done what needed to be done she came back downstairs and sat next to me on the sofa. She laid her head on my shoulder and I put my arm around her, to anyone who was looking at us they would think we had been a couple for years although it had been a matter of hours "We should have done this years ago" Carol commented.

"Done what?" I asked.

"Got together" She replied "If we had gotten together all them years ago then I wouldn't of ended up with Ed and maybe Sophia could have been your daughter" She said "I should've listened to you when you told me to leave him" She said.

"Yeah you should've listened to me but just think… if you didn't get with Ed then you wouldn't have Sophia. If we had gotten together we might not have had children who knows… everything happens for a reason" I told her.

"Yeah I guess so" She said.

She looked up at me with her gorgeous green eyes and I she leaned up to me. I bent my head down to meet her lips and we started kissing. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I just put my arms around her body and brought her as close to me as possible. I never wanted to let her go right now, her and Sophia was my life now. I pulled Carol onto my lap and my hands went from around her back to her waist and then to her buttocks. Her hands went to either side of my cheeks and she just held me to her so I couldn't escape even if I wanted to, the way we were kissing it was as if we were each other's life line.

We decided to stop before we went further then we wanted to go right now. We had spoken earlier and we had agreed that we wouldn't want to rush into things with each other and ruin it before it even started. We also didn't want to confuse Sophia right now, she thought of me as a friend and for right now that was how we wanted her to see me. She would get confused and we didn't want that.

Me and Carol stayed up for another hour or so just talking and kissing, it felt like we were teenagers all over again! Eventually she went up to bed and I walked with her to her bedroom where we kissed and then she went into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. I went into my bedroom and laid down on my bed and smiled at what an amazing day I had today. I never set out to make Carol mine but I just saw an opportunity and I took it.

**Well they are a couple now... of course you guys know me so you must know that it's not going to stay good for long, hmm I wonder what could happen... thank you for reading and please leave a review**


	9. Zoo

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 9 - Zoo  
****Carol Peletier**

Can you believe that me and Daryl have been together for six moths? No I can't believe it either. So much has changed in the last six months between us and the dynamics, I've moved into Daryl's room with him so Sophia has her own bedroom (that she shares with Max), Merle met a girl called Sandra five months ago and he moved in with her two months ago, Daryl owns Dale's business completely because Dale is no longer healthy enough to run it and I am now working full time instead of part time. Things were really looking up for us but we still had one issue in our lives, Ed.

A couple of months ago Ed knocked on the front door crying and told me he missed Sophia and wanted to see her but I refused so he said he was taking me to court. We've been going to court for the last month but nothing has been resolved yet, I have told the court how he used to abuse me and Sophia but because I never got him arrested for it there's no proof of him doing that. They didn't want to bring Sophia into court to give evidence because it could be argued that I had coached her into saying things but on the plus side on the next court hearing they were going to bring Rick and Shane in to testify as Rick lived next door and knew what was going on.

The courts could still give him access to her and I know Sophia will be devastated if she has to go and see him. Ed knows that Sophia doesn't want to see him but he doesn't like not having some control over me and her, if the courts give him access then that's him having control and he needs that. I hadn't told Sophia about any of this because I didn't want to scare her or worry her if there's no need for it but I think she has an idea that there's something going on that we ain't telling her.

Since me and Daryl told Sophia that we were together she had taken to it really well and she looks to Daryl as a father figure. She slipped up the other night and called him dad but quickly apologised, Daryl said she didn't need to apologise for it and she could call him that if she wanted. I know Sophia wanted to call him dad but I think part of her still worried about Ed coming back into her life, I told Sophia myself that she could call Daryl that but she said it was just an accident.

Although she had been asking about where the relationship between me and Daryl was going. She wanted to know if we had any plans of getting married or having another baby and I told we had no plans but if we ever did then she would be the first to know. She seemed satisfied with that answer and dropped it but when she went to bed that night I asked Daryl what he saw in our future, he said he wasn't sure but he was hoping that me and Sophia would still be here.

To be honest I can't see Daryl dropping down on one knee, giving me a romantic speech and proposing… can you? We had sort of spoke about children and we were happy with Sophia right now so I stayed on my birth control but I knew that Daryl wanted one of his own one day. Lori had just announced that she was pregnant with her and Rick's second child and when they told us Daryl said we would be more then happy to look after the kids whenever they wanted. He had let slip when they left that he loved babies and wanted one of his own but after that he avoided the subject whenever he could.

With all that going on in our lives right now we were forgetting about that today and we were going to the zoo for a family day out. Sophia wanted to do something fun and there's only so many times we can take her to the park before she gets bored so after discussing where to go with Daryl we ended up agreeing with the zoo. Sophia loves the zoo and she's a real animal lover, she told me and Daryl that she wanted to become a vet so me and Daryl had started putting money away for her college fund.

We had invited Lori, Rick and Carl to come too so Carl could keep Sophia company and us adults could have a nice little catch up and have a nice day together. I haven't seen much or the Grimes' since getting together with Daryl so it will be nice to catch up on everything and me and Lori can talk about her pregnancy. It will be fun.

I looked over at Daryl driving and smiled as I saw him nodding his head in time with the music playing on the radio "Like this song?" I asked him, he turned and smiled at me before looking back at the road "How long till we're there?" I asked him.

"Not long… ten minutes" He replied.

True to his word ten minutes later we pulled into the zoo's car park. Rick was following us in the car behind and we eventually found two parking spaces next to each other. We parked and the group of us made our way to the ticket office, Daryl got the tickets for me, him and Sophia (even though I offered) and we went inside the gate and waited for Rick, Lori and Carl to come in.

As soon as everyone had paid Carl and Sophia ran off to start looking around. We made sure they didn't run off to far and kept a close eye on them, the zoo was a big place and you could easily get lost but we told them what to do if they got lost; find someone in the zoo's uniform and got to the ticket office and we'll meet them there.

Sophia came and dragged Daryl to go look at something but she was too short to see so Daryl lifted her up, Carl was a few inches taller so he was ok. I smiled at them "Sophia looks happy" Lori commented.

I turned to look at her and Rick "She loves Daryl… she called him dad the other night. He's been there for her and helps her with school work, taught her how to ride her bike, takes her out when I'm working… he's done more for since we got back in contact with each other then Ed has her whole life" I explained to them.

"He's a good man" Rick stated.

"Yeah he is" I agreed "In fact him and Sophia are going camping together next weekend. She's been looking so forward to going, he told her he was going to teach her how to build a tent, hunt for food and everything… she won't stop going on about it" I said to them making them laugh.

"I'm glad that Ed hasn't made not trust people. I see it all the time at work, kids that've been abused by their parents and they stop trusting people" Rick said.

"Sophia's a good kid and she has good people in her life now" Lori said.

We walked around for a while and looked at some of the animals they had to show and then decided to have something to eat before carrying on. We found the on site café and whilst me and Lori found a table with the kids Rick went inside with Daryl to order our food. I had offered to get the food as Daryl had got the tickets but he said that today was his treat, that's sweet and everything but it's always his treat and I feel bad taking his money all the time for me and Sophia.

"Have you got any names chosen yet?" I asked Lori.

"We let Carl choose" She said.

"Oh right… you got names yet Carl?" I questioned.

"For a boy Tyler and for a girl Judith" He replied.

"Beautiful names… do you want a brother or sister?" I asked.

"Sister" He said with a smile on his face "Don't you think, big brother Carl has a ring to it?" He asked me.

"Yes it does" I replied with a smile.

"You finding out the sex?" I asked Lori.

"No. We're keeping it a surprise" She answered.

I was about to ask Lori something else when her phone rang out, she got the phone out of her bag and sighed as she looked at the caller ID. She got up from her chair and took a few steps away from the table and spoke into the phone, you could tell she was annoyed at whoever was on the other end and she was getting angrier as the conversation went on. Eventually she hung up and came back to the table, she gave us all a fake smile before sitting down in her seat.

Rick and Daryl came out with our food and they sat down before handing everyone what they had ordered. We all ate in silence but I wanted to ask Lori who she had been on the phone too and make sure everything was ok but it didn't seem like the right time. Maybe I should wait until the kids had wondered off again to look around, maybe get Rick and Daryl to go with them so that me and Lori could talk about it. She had been there when I needed her so it was only fair that I be there for her when she needed someone, I wanted her to know that she could come to me if she was in some sort of trouble and I would help her in anyway I can.

After we had eaten I put my plan into action. The kids ran off so I sent Rick and Daryl after them to make sure they stayed out of trouble and I walked beside Lori in silence for a few minutes "So… gonna tell me what that phone call was about?" I asked her.

"Nothing" She replied.

"Don't lie to me Lori, something's wrong… what is it?" I asked.

"Carol it's m problem and I don't wanna drag anyone else into it" She said.

"You were there for me and things were going on between me and Ed and I want you to know I'm there if you need me too" I told her.

"Thank you but I'm ok" She replied.

I knew that something was seriously wrong if she was keeping secrets, she seemed so bothered by everything going on but yet Rick didn't so either he didn't know either or he was a really good actor. I know the two of them were going through a rough patch just before she got pregnant with the baby but since announcing that she's pregnant the two of them seemed to be back on track again. When they went through their rough patch Lori would phone me all the time telling me about their latest argument and I just found it odd that she was now shutting me out and not wanting to talk about it, that made me believe it was serious.

"Lori you need to talk to someone about what's bothering you" I told her.

"Carol just drop it" She said.

"No I won't. Something is seriously wrong and you shouldn't keep secrets, if you don't talk to me then at least talk to Rick" I said.

"I can't" She said quietly and I saw she was getting upset.

"Lori tell me what is going on" I demanded.

"You can't tell Rick" She stated.

"Ok but tell me" I said.

"I slept with Shane" She confessed and tears spilled over her eyes and down her cheeks "I slept with Shane and I don't know who's baby this is" She said.

**Dun dun dun! I thought if I said that Lori was pregnant then I had to add the Shane fiasco. So Ed is going to court to try and get access to Sophia, will he win the case or will Rick's witness testimony stop that from ever happening? How will Daryl and Sophia's camping trip go? Make sure you leave a review and I'll post as soon as I can, thank you**


	10. Daddy

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 10 - Daddy  
****Carol Peletier**

I cannot believe that Lori slept with Shane. She explained to me that she and Rick were going through a rough patch of arguing all the time and when they wasn't arguing they wasn't speaking at all, which I already knew about, she said that Shane came over one night to see Rick but he wasn't home. She invited him in and they had a few glasses of wine and then they eventually ended up sleeping with each other, but it doesn't stop there… they started an affair that lasted months! Three months to be exact. She said she ended the affair when she found out she was pregnant and she never told Rick about it but now Shane is threatening to tell Rick about it if she doesn't do it soon.

Shane thinks that the baby is his and he said he wants to be apart of the baby's life but Lori said that it wasn't going to happen and the baby was Rick's. Really she didn't know who's baby it was but she told herself that it was Rick's baby. To me it seems a little suspicious that she has an affair and gets pregnant after not getting pregnant since having Carl all them years ago… maybe I'm wrong and maybe it is Rick's baby but no one will really know until the baby is born and a DNA test it done, there's no doubt one needs to be done whether Lori wants to do one or not.

They shouldn't have done what they did but Shane has a right to know if it's his baby or not and Rick deserves the same, he did nothing wrong. Lori will admit that most of the arguments she had with Rick were her fault anyway, she was picking at the little things he did to get some sort of reaction out of him but he always walked away so Carl didn't have to listen to them. Rick was a good man and I hope that this baby is his for his and the baby's sake, who knows what would happen if this baby is Shane's. God knows what will happen to the Grimes family when the affair comes out; will Lori and Rick split up? Will Carl go and live with Rick or stay with Lori? Will Lori and Shane get together? How will this all effect Carl?

People often never think about the consequences of their actions and this is how people get hurt. Rick and Carl don't deserve any of this and it's a shame that Carl wouldn't end up with a happy family because his mother, even if she is my best friend, can't keep her legs closed. Who knows maybe they will sort it out and they will be able to work together as a family even if the baby is Shane's but truthfully I can't see that happening… Rick can take a lot but I think that might be a little too much for him to handle and I don't blame him. Carl adores his mother and he sees Shane as an uncle so I don't know how it will effect him because either way he will find out.

Lori knew that she had to do the right thing now and come clean to everyone involved before it's too late and Rick has bonded with a baby that might not be his. It doesn't matter what people think of her any more and I know that's part of the reason that she hasn't said anything, she wants everyone to think she's the perfect house wife.

When we got home from our day at the zoo and Sophia was in bed that night I spoke to Daryl about it and he said that he thought Rick was a good man and stand by her and be the perfect husband to her. He agreed with me though that she needed to tell Rick what's going and he has a right to know this baby might not be his and that she slept with his best friend, the man who has his back when they're working.

Lori said she was going to tell Rick and they she would let me know what happens after that. I don't think Rick would do anything to her but Shane… well I think them two might have it out together. If Rick did storm round to Shane's place to have it our with him then I wouldn't blame him for it, I would do the same and I can't think of someone who also wouldn't do the same.

The front door opened bringing me out of my thoughts so I turned to look and saw Daryl coming in with Sophia from school. She ran over to me and jumped into my arms and hugged me, I wrapped my arms around her and Daryl came and sat down next to me on the sofa putting Sophia's school bag on his lap "Hey Hunny, did you have a good day at school sweetie?" I asked her.

"Yeah it was great! Me and Carl were on the roundabout playing and some guy was being mean to me so Carl shouted at him and he apologised to me!" She said excitedly.

"Who was being mean to you?" I asked concerned.

"Chris from my class" She told me.

"What did he do?" I asked. Sophia went quiet and it worried me "Soph…" I questioned.

"He just said some mean things" She stated.

"Like what?" Daryl asked.

"Stuff about dad" She said and looked down.

"What did Chris say?" I asked.

"He said that dad didn't love me and he never wanted me and I was a mistake" She stated.

I become angry that this stupid kid had been so horrible to Sophia and I instantly went into mama bear mode. I got up from the sofa and stormed into the kitchen were I opened the drawer and grabbed the school contact sheet. There was only one Chris on the list so I was assuming that was the correct kid, I grabbed my phone and dialled the number. I was going to give his parents a piece of my mind.

"Hello?" A soft feminine voice said on the other end.

"Hi this is Ms Peletier, Sophia's mother" I stated.

"Oh hello" She said with shock in her voice.

"Sophia's just came home from school and told me that you son Chris said some mean things to her about her father" I told her.

"What did he say?" She asked.

"That Sophia's father doesn't love her, he doesn't want her and that she was a mistake" I told her angrily.

"Oh I am very sorry to hear about that, I will make sure he is punished" She said in the same soft feminine voice as if she didn't hear me or it wasn't a big deal.

"And what sort of punishment will happen?" I questioned.

"Well he will be given a stern talking to, he will be grounded and he will have to write Sophia a letter of apology" She said.

A stern talking to? Grounded? A letter of apology? Is that all? If I had heard that my child had said something so cruel and mean I would do more then that. I was so angry at her right now "I think we need to meet and talk properly" I stated.

"No that won't be possible. Chris' letter will be given to Sophia tomorrow" She said and then she just hung up.

"Stupid bitch" I said quietly to myself.

The rest of the evening the three of us did some maths homework, had some dinner and we watched a movie of Sophia's choice. This was the sort of night I loved. The three of us just enjoying each other's company and being a little family, Daryl was so great with her as always. He helped her with her maths homework whilst I cooked dinner and anyone looking in would think that Daryl was her real dad… he might as well be as her real father doesn't show any interest in her.

After I put Sophia to bed I went back downstairs and sat down on the sofa with Daryl, he put his arm around me and I cuddled into him. The two of us sat in a comfortable silence whilst we watched the TV, Daryl placed a couple kisses on my head every now and again as we sat there watching the TV and I loved it. This was my dream evening.

"Wanna go to bed?" I asked him, I looked up at him with a smirk.

He just smiled at me and after turning the TV off we went up the stairs and to our bedroom where Daryl closed the door as I went over to the bed. He came over to me on the bed and started kissing me, we didn't waste any time. We started taking each other's clothes off and just as I just got his shirt off we heard the front door knock loudly.

Daryl went straight downstairs and I went to make sure the knock hadn't woke Sophia up then I went down the stairs where I saw Ed standing there "What the hell are you doin' 'ere?" Daryl asked him.

"I'm here for my daughter" He stated staring at me.

"Well you ain't gettin her" Daryl told him.

"You wanna bet?" Ed questioned still staring at me.

"You're not having her Ed. She's not your daughter no more, she don't need you and she don't want you" I told him coming down the stairs, I stood next to Daryl and grabbed his hand so Ed could see.

"This what's goin on? You two?" Ed questioned.

He threw a punch out of no where and punched me in the face making me fall to the ground, Daryl knelt down next to me to make sure that I was ok and then once I said that I was fine he just launched himself at Ed. The two of them started fighting on the drive way and I got up from the floor and decided to call Merle but just as I reached the phone I heard small feet coming down the stairs.

I looked up to see Sophia coming down the stairs rubbing her eyes looking confused. Daryl and Ed saw her and before Ed could come into the house Daryl stood in the door way so Ed couldn't get past him "C'mon baby we're goin" Ed said to her.

"I don't wanna go" She said.

"You don't wanna come and stay with your daddy?" He questioned.

"No" She replied in a small voice looking down.

"Leave" Daryl said to Ed "She don't wanna go and she never gonna go with you" Daryl told her.

"Come give me a hug" Ed said to her.

"No!" Sophia shouted.

"But I'm your daddy" Ed said.

"Daryl's my daddy" Sophia replied.

Ed went to push past Daryl but Daryl shoved him back and slammed the door shut. We heard Ed slam his car door closed and heard his tyres screeching across the ground as he pulled away at speed. Daryl turned around to Sophia and Sophia ran into his arms, the two of them hugged and she laid her head down on his shoulder. Daryl placed a kiss on her head and we went up the stairs, we took Sophia into our room and let her lay in the bed with us "Goodnight baby" I said to her and kissed her cheek.

"Night daddy" Sophia said and cuddled into Daryl.

"G'night Sophia" He said and also kissed her cheek.

**Sorry for the long update I've just been super busy, I promise that I will update the next chapter quicker.**


	11. Brother

**Back In Contact  
****Chapter 11 - Brother  
****Daryl Dixon**

I was rudely awoken by little fingers tickling me under my chin. I opened one eye and looked down at Sophia who giggled quietly at me, I looked over at Carol and saw that she was still fast asleep and I decided to give her a lay in today. I slid out of bed and signalled for Sophia to follow me which she did, we left the bedroom and I closed the door over then me and Sophia went down the stairs. Sophia sat on the sofa and I switched the TV on for her before going into the kitchen and make myself some coffee and Sophia some toast for breakfast. I poked my head around the corner to check on her and saw her that she was happily watching some cartoon and laughing at something, I couldn't help but smile as I saw how happy she was.

After watching her mother get punched in the face by her dad must have shocked her and I was worried that she was going to back into her little bubble and become the child she used to be. Thankfully she hadn't done that, she hadn't let that asshole ruin the amazing little girl that she's become… she was so quiet and timid when I first met her and now look at her, she's come a long way. Still I felt bad for her because no child should have to witness things like that, I've been there and I know how it feels and I don't wish that sort of childhood on anyone it's horrible.

Once Sophia's toast was done I put some chocolate spread on it (her favourite) and made her a glass of milk and went into the living room. I handed her the plate of toast and put her glass of milk on the coffee table in front of her and moved it closer so she could reach without getting off her seat, she thanked me and gave me a huge smile before turned her attention to the TV and her food. I went back into the kitchen and made breakfast for me and Carol when she woke up and did any washing up that needed doing.

Half an hour later me and Sophia were sitting on the sofa watching one of her DVDs, she was trying to explain to me who the characters where and what was going on but I didn't really understand it. I just nodded at Sophia and agreed with her when she asked for my opinion, she was so into the movie and so the story that she didn't even hear Carol come down the stairs. I turned around when I heard her footsteps, I noticed that she had gotten dressed into her clothes for the day and she had put on a small amount of foundation where she had been punched before.

She sat down next to me so I was in between her and Sophia and Sophia still hadn't noticed that Carol was here "Want some coffee?" I asked Carol.

"I don't like coffee" Sophia replied.

"Good job I ain't askin you then" I told her.

Sophia turned around and it was then that she realised that Carol was awake. She crawled across me to get to her mother and once she reached her she flung her arms around her and the two of them hugged. I smiled at the two of them before getting up off the sofa and going into the kitchen to make Carol a coffee "Sophia, you want a drink?" I called out to her.

"No thank you" She replied.

I just poured the coffee into the cup when I heard someone walking towards the kitchen, I turned around and saw Carol standing in the door way. Now I was looking at her properly I could see where she had been hit and although she had put foundation on you could still see the bruise from where she had been punched by that asshole. I was so angry at him but also myself for letting that happen after I promised her I would look after her and Sophia. I put the cups of coffee down on the side and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around me and I heard her start sobbing so I pulled away from the hug and looked down at her "What you cryin for?" I asked her.

"I thought I was stronger then this. I never thought I would let him lay his hands on me again… I thought I was stronger" She told me "I thought them days were behind me now that I had you" She said.

"I should've looked after you better, I shouldn't of let that happen" I told her.

"Don't do that" She stated.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Make it seem like this is your fault" She told me.

"It is" I stated.

I was about to sat something when Sophia came into the kitchen and stared at us "The movie's finished" She told me and Carol said that she would sort it out and went back into the living room, I grabbed the coffee and soon followed. I sat in between Sophia and Carol putting my arm around each of them, Sophia laid her head on my shoulder and carried on watching the TV.

The front door knocked and I saw Sophia look scared, she obviously thought that it was Ed coming back. I got up and went to the front door and opened it to see Ed standing there, like Sophia had feared. The problem wasn't Ed being here it was the three people he had here with him "I'm here for my little girl and I ain't leaving without her" He stated and I slammed the door closed.

"Carol!" I shouted out.

"What?" She asked and came running to me with Sophia.

"Call Merle. Ed's here with his buddies and he wants Sophia" I told her.

"OK… Sophia sweetie, go to your bedroom and close the door. Don't open it unless it's me or Daryl" Carol told her and she nodded before running up the stairs. Carol ran off and I was assuming that she went to get her phone.

"I'm coming in!" Ed shouted and I heard him slamming against the front door.

"Merle's on his way" Carol told.

"Go upstairs with Sophia" I said to her.

She ran up the stairs just as Ed had smashed the door in. He came in with his three friends and turned to go up the stairs but I stood on the bottom step to block him. He went to punch me by I ducked out of the way and ended up punching him in the gut, that hit made him stumble back. His three buddies came at me at once and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold all of them off on my own but I was going to do my damned best, I wouldn't just roll over and let them take Sophia.

I got in a few shots with one of the guys and managed to knock him out cold but then the other two came pushing me backwards together but I just kept shoving them back. If I could just hold them off until Merle got here then everything would be ok but he needed to get her within the next 30 seconds because it was hard holding two of them off. Ed was getting in patient and I knew that if he joined in as well then I would have no chance of winning this fight, I gave one of the men a hard shove and he was pushed back towards Ed and I just had the one guy left.

"Stop!" Ed shouted. We all looked over at Ed and he had a gun pointed at me "Move out the way" He said.

"You're gonna have to kill me" I stated.

"Fine" He said and was about to shoot me.

"You gon' wanna put that down" A voice said from the door, a voice I recognised as Merle's voice.

Ed just laughed at him and pulled the trigger on the gun. I felt the bullet enter my shoulder on my left side and I fell down so I was laying on the stairs, I sat up and saw that Merle was fighting with Ed and the other three men had left. They obviously knew that the gun shot was gonna attract police attention and they clearly didn't want to be here when they got here.

I heard sirens in the distance and Ed tried to escape but Merle stood in the door way to block him and stop him leaving "You ok baby brother?" He asked me without taking his eyes off Ed.

"Yeah" I replied but I wasn't ok. I was in so much pain right now and it was becoming unbearable but I wouldn't show that in front of Merle or Ed.

"Daryl!" I looked to the door to see Rick and Shane.

I threw my head back and breathed back and started breathing through the pain and I heard a struggle but I couldn't look up to see what was going on but there was a lot of grunting going on. Merle was suddenly there looking over me and I just smirked at him "He got ya good, let's sort that out" He said and helped me stand up.

"I'll be ok, go see if Sophia and Carol are alright" I said to him.

Merle went up the stairs and I stood there on the bottom step holding my shoulder in agony and then Rick walked into the house "Want me to call an ambulance?" He asked.

"No I'll sort it, I'll be good" I told him.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yeah" I replied.

"When you feel up to making a statement come down to the station" He told me.

"Will do" I told him and he nodded once before leaving.

I heard little feet running down the stairs and turned to see Sophia running towards me, she reached me and wrapped her little arms around me. I wrapped my good arm around her and he rubbed her back comfortingly so she knew that I was ok, Carol was then at my side and she was crying and hugging me as well "Are you ok?" Carol asked.

"Don't worry bout me" I said to her.

"C'mon baby brother I'll sort you out" He said and the two of us walked into the kitchen. I stood against the counter as Merle got all the stuff that he would need, I took my shirt off so you could see the wound better and he studied it "Damn you were got good" He stated.

"Thanks" I replied rolling my eyes.

"You ready?" He asked and I nodded.

After Merle took the bullet out for me, which thankfully wasn't all that deep, he then cleaned the wound before stitching me up and then put a make shift bandage over it. I went into the living room and saw Carol and Sophia stood there looking at me worriedly "I'm fine" I told them and to prove it I lifted Sophia up but with my good arm and wrapped my other arm around Carol's waist.

Merle came out of the kitchen obviously after cleaning everything up "Thanks for the help" I said to him and unwrapped my arm from Carol and shook his hand.

"Don't worry bout it, call me if you get any more problems" He told me.

"Well I think we'll be ok for a while but I'll call" I said.

Me and Merle had our problems in the past but I was glad that we had made it up over the last couple years and he was here today. There was no one I would rather have watching my back today then him, I was still shot but I knew that Ed had paid for that. I had watched them fighting and saw some of the good shots Merle got in and I knew that Ed couldn't fight back against Merle, the only thing that could kill Merle was Merle.

**I'm not entirely happy with this chapter :( thank you for reading and please leave a review.**


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